Gaining confidence in the kitchen, one messy pan at a time

I just want to cry…..and eat dinner.

I’m going on hour two of cooking tonight’s dinner. I was lazy and didn’t want to cook this meal according to the directions (prep time of 15 minutes on the stove, mind you). I figured that I would make the world’s largest tin foil packet, crammed with food and realistically thought that it would be cooked thoroughly in 20 minutes. Oh, how wrong I was.

I’m making Chicken with Pineapple-Corn Salsa and a side of asparagus. Except that I threw everything into the aforementioned colossal tin foil packet, then tossed it in the oven.

Hey, it works for fish. It works for veggies on the grill. Why wouldn’t tin foil pockets work for 1.87 pounds of fresh chicken breast?

Perhaps volume is my problem. Inside this industrial strength aluminum foil is 3 rather large chicken breasts, a half pound of asparagus and enough pineapple and corn for me to see twice over the next several days, maybe weeks. Was that last part too much? Also, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. All of this is housed in a 13×9 baking dish (it was the only dish big enough to hold everything).

Maybe it’s the baking dish?! That’s it! I found my scapegoat. Or perhaps it’s because I sat the dish on top of the cast iron griddle that is forever on the oven rack except for when I use the oven or use the griddle itself?! Yes, those are my variables!

This isn’t my fault! Except that it is…..

I just want to eat dinner.

Lesson learned: Don’t squeeze the entire contents of your refrigerator into tin foil and expect it to be done “quickly”.

Positive lesson learned: This meal smells like it will be amazing in 42 hours when it is complete.